The Power of Black Magic: The Magical Negro and …

The Power of Black Magic: The Magical Negro and White Salvation in Film

By: Cerise L. Glenn, Landra J. Cunningham

Glenn, C.L. & Cunningham, L. (2009). Black magic: The magical Negro and White salvation in film, Journal of Black Studies, 40(2), 135-152. doi:10.1177/0021934707307831

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Abstract:

Movies featuring a "magical" or spiritually gifted Black lead character have been released for many years, and the trend continues to grow in popularity. These Black characters, often referred to as "magical Negroes," generally focus their abilities toward assisting their White lead counterparts. At first glance, casting the Black and White leads in this manner seems to provide examples of Black and White characters relating to each other in a constructive manner; however, a closer examination of these interactions suggests a reinvention of old Black stereotypes rather than authentic racial harmony. Using a textual analysis of eight selected films: the Matrix trilogy--The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and The Matrix Revolutions (2003)-- The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), The Green Mile (1999), Bringing Down the House (2003), Nurse Betty (2000), and Bruce Almighty (2003), this study formalizes a definition of the magical Negro and determines how these characterizations reinvent traditional Black stereotypes of mammy, jezebel, and Uncle Tom. This study reflects on the complex nature of the portrayal and acceptance of Blacks in contemporary times because these roles may commingle limited progress with traditionally racist stereotypes.

Keywords: African American | magical Negro | motion pictures | stereotypes

Article:

The unique nature and history of race relations and racial imagery in the United States contributes to the complexity of studying and analyzing communication and race. The media project images that affect the perceptions people have of one another. The movie industry especially illustrates the pervasiveness of these media-projected images. The producers of major motion pictures aim to entertain and pique the interest of the masses to generate large amounts of revenue. Millions of people flock to theaters to view the fantasy world that Hollywood has created, all the while processing a large amount of information that guides their formations and expectations in actual society. The projected images pertaining to the interaction and relationships between people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds have significant implications for audience members' perceptions of race relations. Films generally use

exaggerated characterizations and limited roles of Black characters to appeal to broad audiences; these depictions show more positive interaction between people of different cultures, especially between Blacks and Whites. At first glance, moviegoers watch Black and White characters relate to each other in a constructive manner; however, a thorough analysis of the relationships between these characters reveals a reinvention of racist stereotypes, such as mammy, jezebel, and Uncle Tom, as well as the mainstream traditional association of Blacks with folk wisdom and spiritual insight. These associations coupled with subtler forms of racist stereotypes culminate to create a distinct Black character, which has grown in popularity in the film industry: the magical Negro.

The Impact of Mass-Mediated Images of Blacks

Although audience members watch movies for entertainment, the images and relationships between characters impact the manner in which they perceive themselves and others. Kellner (1995) asserted that "media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values: what we consider good or bad, positive, or negative, moral or evil" (p. 5). These images are based on ideologies that represent real aspects of social existence, such as race relations and stereotypes. Understanding the importance of media produced racial images requires discussing the tumultuous nature of race relations between Blacks and Whites in the United States. Rocchio (2000) stated, "The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representations within and through the mass media" (p. 4). Media images impact the way that Whites perceive Blacks. As Blacks move closer to the realm of acceptability with Whites, the images in movies can be critical to the extent of this acceptance. These images are significant because Whites have not completely accepted Blacks as equals and remain ensconced in attitudes that "confer superiority" to Whites (Mazama, 2003, p. 13).

Entman and Rojecki (2001) called this position between acceptance and rejection "liminality," which they defined as the "unsettled status of Blacks in the eyes of those who produce dominant culture [Whites] and of those who consume it [Whites]" (p. 53). Black and White relations can be even more challenging because people use the images projected by media to draw conclusions regarding these relationships. Author bell hooks (1995) stated that many Whites who have no contact with Blacks think they know Blacks and their actual status because of the roles played while acting. Because these roles depict a utopian relationship between Blacks and Whites, Whites may believe that these ideal harmonious relationships depict current social status; therefore, racial problems only exist in the minds of Black people. The movie industry produces films that can result in the reinforcement of this liminal status.

As a result of Blacks' liminal status, the magical Negro has emerged as a new version of traditional racial stereotypes because most Hollywood screenwriters do not know much about Black people other than what they see or hear in other media forms. Consequently, instead of having life histories or love interests, Black characters possess magical powers (Farley, 2000). Because Hollywood screenwriters often remain oblivious about Black people, they incorporate images in films that comfort and appeal to White viewers. Notable images of race exist in terms of "mythification" where the debased Black role and glorified White hero are not only isolated roles for the viewer but symbolically used so that Whites do not have to consider the moral implications or validity of these roles (Snead, 1994).

Although the magical Negro trend has gained more popularity in recent years, the underlying traits and characteristics of these characters has been present in film for quite some time. More than half a century ago, Sidney Poitier and other Black actors were placed in White worlds to help White people improve themselves. These magical Negroes were often wise, morally upright Blacks who served as the moral conscience of White characters (Kempley, 2003). Whoopi Goldberg's role in Ghost (1990), the spiritual assistant with powers used to assist the lead White character, helped transcend the characterization of Blacks in popular film. The film industry views Blacks through the magical Negro lens more often, leading to the growing popularity of these movies in recent years.

The Magical Negro

The magical Negro phenomenon has received little attention from published scholarship. Extant discussion and conceptualizations of this trend primarily stems from popular press and commentary. One such commentator, K. Anthony Appiah (1993), defined the magical Negro as "the noble, good-hearted black man or woman" whose good sense pulls the White character through a crisis. Appiah labeled the helpful Black characters as "saints." He further asserted that saintly Black characters are morally equivalent to their "normal" White counterparts. This categorization serves to offset the racial stereotypes that White audiences generally aim at the Black characters as well as draw upon the superior moral nature associated with the oppressed. Entman and Rojecki (2001) noted three main purposes for the magical Negro in relation to the lead White character in the film: (a) to assist the character, (b) to help him or her discover and utilize his or her spirituality, and (c) to offer a type of "folk wisdom" used to resolve the character's dilemma. The White characters' dilemma, not the Black characters' gifts or spirituality, serve as the primary focus in these films. Denzin (2002) also offered an explanation for relationships between White lead characters and the magical Negroes. Denzin stated that interracial friendship in movies often arises out of the need for Blacks to get what they need from Whites and for Whites to get what they need from Blacks--usually, "soul" (p. 61).

Other commentators of the magical Negro characters in film have discussed their limited role and lack of depth. Film director Spike Lee commented on the absurdity of the magical Negro characters. Lee stated that the magical, mystical Negroes generally appear in the form of a spirit or angel. He further noted that the Black characters in these films use their powers to help the White characters, but do not utilize them to help themselves. Lee, who termed this role "magical nigger," noted that these roles have been seen in movies such as The Green Mile (1999), The Family Man (2000), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), and What Dreams May Come (1998) (as quoted in Crowdus and Georgakas, 2001). Washington Post staff writer Rita Kempley (2003) commented on the lack of character development for these roles. They do not have depth or interior lives. Like Lee, Kempley believes these characters only exist to rescue the White characters that do have more character depth. She also cited The Green Mile (1999) and The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) as examples.

Traditionally Racist Stereotypes in the Magical Negro

Brief commentaries about the magical Negro describe the character but do not discuss in detail how the magical Negro embodies racist stereotypes. In addition, the aforementioned definitions

and examples limit the role of the magical Negro to Black men. These discussions overlook the images of women in these roles as well as dominant society's vested interest in fostering and maintaining oppressive controlling images for Blacks. The helpful aspect of Black roles partially has its roots in traditionally racist stereotypes, such as mammy, jezebel, and Uncle Tom, which many in the film industry have perpetuated with fervor. Consistent with the magical Negro characterizations in film, these stereotypes depict Blacks' primary function as using their gift or power to please Whites characters or aid them with their problems.

Initial controlling images of Black women include the mammy and the jezebel. Collins (2000) asserted that the mammy image stems from the era of slavery to maintain dominant society's control over the perceptions of roles for Black women. Collins further described this controlling image as "the faithful, obedient, domestic servant. Created to justify the economic exploitation of house slaves and sustained to explain Black women's longstanding restriction to domestic service" (p. 72). The mammy loves her White "family" more than her own. Even though this family may care for her, she never forgets her role as the obedient servant and has accepted her subordination to White male elite power (Collins, 2000). Depictions of mammy tend to portray darker, larger Black women with no sexuality, rendering them undesirable to men (Davis, 1983). The mammy role has come to be an accepted ideal of Black women's relationships to powerful Whites in mainstream society (Collins, 2000). Unlike the mammy, the jezebel depicts Black women as hypersexualized beings. This image conceptualizes Black women as sexually deviant and aggressive, which helped dominant society relegate them to the role of reproduction during the slavery era. The jezebel embodies the belief that Black women have insatiable sexual appetites and are willing to engage in any deviant sexual behavior in order to please. Brown Givens and Monahan (2005) discussed how viewing the mammy and jezebel images influence people to characterize Black women negatively. These perceptions can negatively impact the evaluation of Black women as they pursue employment opportunities.

The Uncle Tom controlling image stems from Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1852/1998) poignant novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Originally published in 1852, the novel details Uncle Tom and his family's trials and tribulations during slavery and aimed to promote the abolitionist movement. Uncle Tom's noteworthy traits include his friendliness with one of his White slave owners, selfless assistance to White characters in the novel, and strong religious convictions. In his plight, Uncle Tom saves a young White girl from drowning, befriends her, and sacrifices his life to protect others. Caputi (1990) discussed the Uncle Tom stereotype in film, primarily in the movie Driving Miss Daisy. The Uncle Tom image appears through the character Hoke, a Black driver, who remains subservient, loyal, good-natured, and folksy to the White woman he works for. Caputi described Hoke and the Uncle Tom characterization as a "White dream" since he worships those who boss him around and knows his place while denying his own humanity.

To concretely define and describe the traits of the magical Negro as well as its links to traditionally racist stereotypes, the following two research questions guide this study:

Research Question 1: What are the formalities, characteristics, and conventions of magical Negroes in popular film?

Research Question 2: How does this characterization of Blacks in the magical Negro role reinvent traditionally racist stereotypes of mammy, jezebel, and Uncle Tom?

Method

Films Selected

To obtain a current representation of magical Negro movies, we selected films with magical Negro characterizations from the top-grossing movies of 2003. These movies include The Matrix Reloaded (Silver, Wachowski, & Wachowski, 2003a), Bruce Almighty (Shadyac, 2003), and Bringing Down the House (Hoberman, Amritraj, Shankman, & Filardi, 2003). We also studied The Matrix (Silver, Wachowski, & Wachowski, 1999) and The Matrix Revolutions (Silver, Wachowski, & Wachowski, 2003b) to get a complete picture of the magical Negro role and its development across the trilogy. We also selected movies to include in our sample that Spike Lee, a film director (as cited in Crowdus & Georgakas, 2001), and Rita Kempley, a staff writer for the Washington Post (2003), referenced in their commentaries of the growing popularity of the magical Negro phenomenon. These movies include The Legend of Bagger Vance (Redford, 2000) and The Green Mile (Gareri, Darabont, & King, 1999). Last, we included the movie Nurse Betty (Golin & LaBute, 2000) to obtain a sample that represents a variety of genres and release dates.

Film Synopses

The comedy Bringing Down the House (2003) chronicles Charlene Morton's quest to reestablish her good name after being wrongly convicted of a robbery. Morton targets Peter Sanderson, a lonely lawyer, to help her achieve her goal. In exchange, she helps Sanderson with his domestic troubles. Bruce Almighty (2003) portrays the life of a TV news reporter who complains to God about his unfavorable luck and through personally experiencing God's powers and responsibilities learns how to find meaning in aspects of life besides his own wealth and fame. The film Nurse Betty (2000) centers on a waitress, enamored with a soap opera and its main character, who witnesses the murder of her husband and loses touch with reality. She journeys to the set of her beloved soap opera to find her love and is followed by two men, one of which is in love with her. The Green Mile (1999) shows the interaction between Paul Edgecombe, who oversees death row in a 1930s prison, and one of the prisoners, John Coffey, who has been wrongly convicted of murdering two White girls. This drama details Edgecombe's transformation as he learns about life and himself through Coffey, a gentle giant with a unique gift. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) tells the story of a young World War I veteran who enters a golf exhibition tournament to defend his hometown's honor and simultaneously faces his fears, past, and lost love with the help of a Black caddie's spiritual guidance. Set in the near future, the Matrix trilogy, composed of The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), follows the tale of Neo as he realizes the world is not what it seems. Morpheus and his crew unplug Neo from the Matrix, a fictitious world created by machines, to begin his quest of freeing mankind from the machines that imprison them. Neo develops powers, which help him battle his enemies as he attempts to fulfill his mission.

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